Unwanted Wants
by grumpyhobo
Summary: Some things you don't want, despite what you may think. Jaune's semblance is one of those things. To some it'd be a dream, but to him it's a curse. One he has no hope of curing. So now he just wants to be left to himself. But will the lurking darkness in Remnant allow that, or will he be dragged to the front of an ancient war because of a power he doesn't want.
1. Unwanted Prologue

**Authors Note (PLEASE READ):**

 **Greetings everyone. GrumpyHobo here. To start off I hate reading long pointless author's notes filled with information that I don't care about. So for future reference any author's note I put at the beginning of a chapter I consider the "MUST KNOW" information so please read that. On the other hand the author's note at the end will be filled with my ramblings, polls, questions for the reader, and other such stuff that really isn't necessary for you to read unless you want to.**

 **With that said, the rest of this author's note is just info about what to expect in this story. So if the summary already hooked you somehow, or you just like surprises, skip to the story (and thanks for reading). As for the rest of you who reasonably want to know what you're getting into (particularly with how f'd up lots of people on the internet are) buckle up.**

 **This is going to be a Jaune centric story (I know, SO ORIGINAL). I'm pretty sure i've come up with a fairly unique situation for him so it'll hopefully keep everyone entertained (no spoilers here though).**

 **This won't be following cannon perfectly. Events will play out somewhat similar so the story goes in the same direction but that's it. And once it hits season 3 all bets are off. It is NOT going to go down that way.**

 **There will be romance in this story. I'm not sure of pairings yet so feel free to comment with suggestions. There may be a small harem but if so it'll be because of believable situations. Not because all the RWBY characters are magically ok with him being with other girls (imagine what Yang would do to a guy that cheated on her).**

 **Finally, this story will be dark at times, both emotionally and physically. Jaune himself won't be the one that is dark, but he'll be going through some dark stuff (what do you expect of a world filled with monsters, in the middle of a race war).**

 **So with that final note I say thank you for reading, and please review if you have a spare moment to give some advice. The only reason i'm making this is to gain more experience as a writer (and get this damn idea out of my head). Thanks again.**

Unwanted Prologue (posted 7/7/17)

"Where are you going Jaune?" she asked with a desperate look in her eye.

He turned away in shame. It hurt to see her like this. The pain and fear in her voice were so terribly raw. He could barely keep himself from dashing out the door, let alone look at her. Even after all this time she was the one that was hardest to leave. His sisters and father had been tough too, but this was worse.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered, and meant it in so many different ways.

"You don't have to be sorry dear... I just want you safe," she said as she brushed his hair back in that way mothers do. But the words and action felt hollow to him, and that just made it all worse. It was odd how the pain and fear she expressed was so viscerally real, but the love and affection felt empty. Maybe that was his conscious' doing, but he couldn't be sure.

"I have to go mother. Me being here is ruining everything... Maybe if I leave for a while things will fix themselves," he desperately hoped that was true, but knew it wasn't. Staying would make it even worse though, so his decision was made.

"W-was it s-something we did?" she asked beginning to cry, "If it was I s-swear we'll f-fix it."

"No mother," he said, quickly wrapping her in a hug, "It's me, not any of you," Idly he thought how ironic it was that he needed to reassure her insecurities, when it seemed like only yesterday their roles had been reversed.

"T-then w-w-why ar-are you lu-leaving?" his comfort doing nothing to stop the waterworks.

"I'm sorry mother…. I have to. You'll never understand," and she really wouldn't. He knew because he'd tried for hours with some of the others, but they never grasped it.

"Now listen to me," He said, finally looking down into her eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but refound his resolve and put every ounce of it into his voice, "I don't want any more of this mopiness when i'm gone. I want you to live life normally. Like… Like…" here came the hard part, "Like I never even existed," she tensed up at that, but he forced himself through, knowing if he stopped now he'd never finish, "So please, no more crying. Just be normal and happy... Forget about me." Slowly he felt the tension release from her as his words sunk in. His heart shattered as her arms loosened and dropped from around him.

"I love you… goodbye…" he rasped, holding back tears of his own now.

With a final squeeze he let her go and opened the front door. As he exited, he looked back a final time, but wished he hadn't. There she stood with an expressionless face. He stared for a second hoping for some reaction, anger, sadness, anything… but there wasn't.

He tore himself away and quickly closed the door before the last bit inside him snapped and he truly broke down. With a heavy heart, he headed down the stairs and towards the taxi that waited for him, wiping away his tears on the way down.

"Is it done sir?" Dorch asked as he opened the car door for him.

"Yes… it's done," he said. The realization of it finally kicking in and bringing him to a stop.

' _What am I doing?!'_

"I'm... sorry sir. I know it must have been difficult. But don't worry. I'll be here to look after them," Dorch said with a reassuring smile. And reassure it did… if only a little.

"Thank you Dorch. That means more to me than you could ever know," he said, forcing a smile that he knew must looked hollow.

"No need for thanks sir. I am the Arc family butler for a reason," the man said straightening his back and twitching his sharp mustache regally. It almost made Jaune chuckle.

"Really though. Thank you. I don't know what I would have done without you here. I never would have figured this all out."

"I'm sure you would have managed sir," the butler replied, always the humble one.

"Well… I guess this is goodbye… for now at least," Jaune said extending his hand. Dorch looked at it for a second before giving Jaune a pointed look, "OH RIGHT," Jaune said quickly retracting it back with a guilty look. If their roles were reversed he wouldn't want to shake his hand either, even with the gloves on.

Before the moment could get any more awkward, he quickly hopped into the cab, checking to make sure the driver knew where he was going. But Dorch had apparently set everything up already, even paying the cabbie in advance. He really was too good for him.

"Goodbye sir. I hope your journeys are… pleasant," the prim man said.

"Thank you," He choked out one final time and received a simple nod in response. At last, the door was closed and the cab began to move.

As he pulled away, Jaune turned around and gave Dorch a final wave goodbye. Receiving one in return, he couldn't help his eyes wandering past the stern butler to the arc family estate as it slowly grew further away. He finally broke and tears began to drop down his face as a bolt of panic spiked within him. That place had been his home for his entire life, and now he was going to be leaving for a very long time.

' _Probably forever'_ , the despair within him whispered. The optimistic side tried to block it out for a moment, but it was quickly overrun. He'd lost any real hope long ago.

Shaking his head, he turned away from these unpleasant musings, and instead looked out the window. Ahead he could see the docks, or at least he assumed they were with all the bullheads and airships circling around it.

Suddenly, a distant memory rang in his mind. It was his mother's favorite saying when he was a child, ' _If you want things to change than get off your lazy ass and change them yourself_ ,' It had been a long time since she'd said something like that.

Well he was definitely following those words now. Attending Beacon academy would be a huge change from his normal life. The only question was… would it change what really mattered?

 **YAY prologue FINISHED! I know it's pretty short. Actual chapters will be longer, the first of which should be posted later tonight or tomorrow. Please review with pairing suggestions. I'd also like to see who's figured out what his semblance is already. I tried to be subtle but not completely vague. I'll give a small hint. It's similar to the power of a certain x-men kinda mixed with the power of another one… That actually makes it more confusing probably. Oh well. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 1: Unwanted Beginning

Chapter 1: Unwanted Beginning (posted 7/8/17)

' _Curse you bullhead_!' Jaune screamed in his mind. He'd forgotten the horrors of airsickness when he'd began the journey to Beacon, but he sure remembered now. And it was even worse since it felt like it was 1000 degrees in here. Normal airsickness was bad enough. Mix it with heat stroke and you were dealing with living hell sort of conditions. At least he didn't have to worry about sharing the journey with a bunch of other students. Perks of knowing the headmaster mixed with his unique situation.

Finally he got sick of waiting for the A/C to kick in and decided to fix it himself. He focused inwards, gripping the aura resting just under his skin, willing it to chill himself and the air around him. He loved how versatile aura could be. Most never bothered to learn more than it's basic battle functions… but Jaune wasn't most people. Now if only he could get it to fix this blasted motion sickness, but sadly that dealt more with the brain than your actual stomach, and was thus simply too complicated and potentially dangerous to tamper with.

He had tried to use aura in the brain of his pet rabbit Flopsy once. The result had been one of the most horrifying things he'd ever witnessed. Poor Flopsy. He'd promised himself never to try it again.

With that one experience he'd realised the insurmountable difference in complexity between the brain and the rest of anatomy. It was simple enough to cause your body to do what it already does, just better. All you had to do was add a little strength here, make it a little more flexible there, and presto. Most people could do some of it instinctively the moment their aura was awoken.

Changing the actual brain, however, was like changing the code in a scroll without knowing how to program, or asking someone who only knew basic adition to solve a problem on theoretical dust reactions. It was such an exponential leap in complexity he knew he'd never understand.

' _Guess i'll have to deal with airsickness forever_ ,' he thought with a self deprecating smirk. That was the least of his problems. And so his dark thoughts filled him, And as they are oft' to do, they spread to darker and darker ones, until he was totally consumed in his despair. It continued like this, him brooding, cooling himself off with his aura, and doing his best to ignore the airsickness, all the way to beacon.

Glynda Goodwitch watched as the bullhead carrying one Jaune Arc descended to dock before her. She was the only one on the platform. Which wasn't a surprise since the rest of the students weren't due to arrive for a few hours. She hoped the boy hadn't been too lonely on the flight here, but it really couldn't be helped.

With a final hiss the bullhead's dust engines powered down and the passenger hatch opened letting out a frigid burst of air more characteristic of mid winter, not late summer. She was worried something was wrong until she watched Jaune walking to the exit without any concern despite the layer of frost that covered everything. She had forgotten to inform the pilot of his need for cooler than normal temperatures. A mistake he had apparently decided to fix with his impressive aura control.

"Good morning Jaune," She said, purposefully extending her hand, "I take it the flight was uneventful." He stared at her for a moment and quirked his eyebrow.

"I am confidant in what the studies showed Jaune," she said, trying to reassure the boy. Hesitantly he reached towards her hand with his larger gloved one, before shaking it in one brief instance then retracting back like something had burned him.

"It's good to see you Glynda," he said with an awkwardly forced smile.

"You know Jaune," she sighed at his dramatic, but understandable action, "If the compartment was too hot, you could have asked for the pilot to adjust the air conditioning, or simply removed some of your excessive clothing," gesturing to his absurd outfit.

' _He could have at least taken off the trench coat.'_

"OH… Yeah… sorry," He said, scratching the back of his hooded head, "Wasn't really thinking straight with the airsickness," Ahh right. She had forgotten about his unusual aversion to flying

"Well don't do it again," she lectured, "You could have caused a crash by freezing an important component," It wasn't very likely. These bullheads were meant to withstand some very extreme conditions, but better safe than sorry.

"I'll remember that," he nodded.

"Be sure you do," she said, unleashing her patented stern look. She did have a reputation to maintain after all. With that she turned and began the trek back towards campus.

"What do you want me to do until everyone else arrives?" He asked as he hastened to fall into step beside her, "Do you have a room picked out for me already?"

"Actually the headmaster is wanting to speak with you briefly, than you will be free to wander until the other students arrive."

"Why does Ozpin want to see me?"

"That's professor Ozpin to you now Jaune," She said, frowning at him, "You'll need to remember that from now on."

"I'll try. But it'll be a hard habit to break," he said with a sigh, "does this mean I have to call you Ms. Goodwitch?"

"Yes, and i'll need to call you Mr. Arc as well," She sighed. It did feel weird to call him that. They had known eachother for quite a while afterall. Practically since she took the position as deputy headmistress.

"Aww, just call me Jaune. What's the big deal?"

"Professional standards must be kept Mr. Arc," she scowled at him, "However, when we are alone, I suppose we can do away with formalities Jaune."

"I guess I understand that," he said with a shrug, "So what does the **Headmaster** want to talk about?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she glowered, "he wouldn't tell me."

Jaune groaned, "He likes his mysterious persona far too much,"

She silently agreed. Originally, she thought being his second in command would relieve her of his annoying habit of withholding information. It had in a way, but in another it hadn't. She was now "in the know" on all the important information that she needed to be informed on, but was instead kept out of the loop for little day to day things or anything else that wasn't essential. Like what to expect in a teacher meeting, or surprising her with a next day field trip for the students, or refusing to tell how in Oum's name he always had a full cup of tea. She theorized it was because of his obsessive love for surprises, or more specifically watching people's reaction to them. But she couldn't tell any of this to Jaune.

"He has his reasons for keeping secrets Jaune," she said with a forceful stare, "If the White Fang or any other group got hold of the information he knew, all of Vale could fall."

"Yeah yeah," he waved her off, "He could still loosen up a bit."

"Perhaps," she admitted, "So how was home?" she wincing even as the words came out of her mouth. Stupid autopilot teacher question.

"It was ok," he said, acting nonchalant.

"That's good," she rushed with an awkward smile, desperately thinking of a different question, "Did you see the new Iron-Hunter Movie?"

"Yeah," he smirked, readily taking the change of topic, "I really hope someone makes actual hand and foot mounted dust repulsors so I can fly like that,"

"I've seen people reach a similar effect with dust rounds."

"Yeah but that's terribly inefficient and you run out of ammo too quickly. This would be-," she zoned out a little as he went on, smiling at his ranting. It was good to see him passionate about something. It would be better if he smiled, but that had become increasingly less frequent. Now it was lucky to get a glimpse of one, and when you did it was a shadow of what it once was.

Gradually they made it to the central tower within beacon academy and boarded the elevator up to Ozpin's office. Jaune had now gone into his new theories on multi staged, aura magnified dust rounds. It sounded a little far fetched to her, but if it was possible to do with aura, Jaune would learn how. Few were as talented in aura manipulation as him, and none as obsessed.

' _If only it was out of passion instead of desperation,_ ' she thought with a sad shake of her head.

"Just think of it," he went on, "You could have an amplified explosion of fire dust, and then alternate mid flight to iron hardening thus making the ultimate armor penetration round. All I need is a stronger inhibitor to slow the aura transfer between stages and i'll have it."

"So you've completed an aura power cell?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"Well... no," he grumbled, "but i'll get it soon."

She couldn't help but laugh, "People have been trying to figure out ways to store aura since it was first discovered Jaune. It won't be such an easy problem to solve." she snickered at the grouchy face he made while whispering something about critics under his breath.

The elevator finally slowed to a halt and opened into the odd clockwork themed interior of Ozpin's office. Jaune always thought it was odd. He understood the need for the gears that ran the actual clock. But why all the others?

Everywhere you looked there were gears, be it carved into archways or etched into the baseboard. Even Ozpin's chair was made of gears. Was it just because Ozpin liked them? Or was he trying to be all metaphorical where we are all gears working together to make the clock work. Whatever it was, Jaune thought it was excessive and honestly a little creepy.

"Well if it isn't the little squirt," came a gruff voice that most certainly didn't belong to Ozpin, "How goes being a superhero?"

"Come on Qrow!" Jaune groaned at the man sitting across from Ozpin, "I said that when I was 10. And i'm taller than you now so I don't think squirt is the best nickname anymore."

"Squirt doesn't have anything to do with height," Qrow said with than annoyingly smug smile, "You either are one or aren't one. And you, squirt, are one."

"How have you been Jaune?" Ozpin said standing up from his desk and preventing the argument that would have undoubtedly started.

"I'm doing ok Oz-headmaster," He quickly corrected himself.

"Oh I think we've known each other long enough to do away with formalities Jaune," Ozpin said, adjusting his weirdly bent wire spectacles. Meanwhile Glynda groaned something about professional integrity.

"So what did you want to see me about?" He asked as he sat in the open chair next to Qrow.

"Ha, this'll be good," Qrow said with a grin as he took out his flask and leaned back into his chair.

"Well Jaune. I wanted to discuss your living arrangements."

"Ok…" He didn't like where this was going.

"It has been decided that we can't provide you your own room."

"WHAT?! WHY!?"

"There are numarul reasons. For one, we can't show favoritism towards a student."

"But it's not for me. It's so I don't affect someone."

"While that may be true, you are hardly the only person who's semblance has adverse effects. In fact your's is far more manageable than one like Qrow's," Ozpin said, gesturing to the man in question.

"Mine isn't just some bad luck though," Jaune argued.

"Regardless. Even if it was fair for you. It wouldn't be fair for your team."

"Team?"

"Yes. The teamwork of your entire squad would be harmed if you were constantly isolating yourself."

"WHAT TEAM?" He screeched, jumping to his feet.

"Here we go," Qrow grinned, taking a swig.

"Quiet," Glynda cuffed the drunk.

"Ozpin… What… Team?" Jaune hissed.

"The one you'll be getting at initiation of course," He said without batting an eye.

"I can't be on a team!"

"Why not?" Ozpin asked. Nonchalantly grabbing his mug and taking a sip.

"Be-because I'm not safe!" Jaune sputtered out. If anyone understood that it should be Ozpin, "I can't fight safely in a team! I couldn't do proper team support! I may harm someone more than I help!"

"You are overdramatizing the facts slightly Jaune. You know the limitations of your semblance," he said with a frown, "Regardless, i'm sure that if teams are able to strategize around people who catch on fire, teleport, clone themselves, or any other number of odd abilities, they can work around yours as well."

"Bu-But…. But…" Jaune didn't know what to say so he just stood there gaping like a fish. This couldn't be happening. Beacon was supposed to be his escape from all his stress and worrying. Instead it seemed like it would multiply a thousand fold.

"Just look at the bright side kid." Qrow said, grasping him around the shoulders, "There could be a pretty girl on your team. Maybe even multiple."

"That'll just make things worse," Jaune groaned, collapsing to his knees.

"Hey you'll just have to remember the golden rule. You can look, but don't touch." He chuckled.

"Aren't your nieces starting tomorrow?" Glynda couldn't help but chime in freezing Qrow.

"Actually don't even look. Don't even open your eyes," he hissed, "If I find out you did… I will find you… and well, you know what i'll do," he finished, patting him on the top of the head with a smile that promised pain, before turning and waving a brief goodbye as he exited down the elevator.

"Well I guess that's all for now," Ozpin said with that annoyingly neutral smile, "You're free to do whatever you want until the other students arrive Jaune. Meanwhile Glynda and I have some last minute preparations to do."

' _THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING?!'_

"Do you really think this will end well Ozpin?" Glynda asked him as Jaune left down the elevator.

"No," he admitted, "but it's better than any other option."

"His teammates safety will be put in danger," she argued, "it wouldn't be that dif-"

"We both know this is about more than team safety Glynda." he cut her off with an uncharacteristically stern look.

"He could still have his own room at least," she continued stubbornly.

"We both know he'd simply isolate himself as much as possible."

"You don't know that for sure," she continued, but he just gave her a bland stare in reply, "Fine... but we could have still been more gradual with it. Give him some time to adjust."

"Have you forgotten this is a combat school Glynda?" he said with a shake of his head, "The world won't be gradual with him, so we won't either."

"I still don' like it," she grumbled.

"We have spent so much time trying to help him undo his semblance," he said, standing and walking towards the grand windows that overlooked beacon, "Now that it is clear that we can't, it is time to instead teach him how to live with it."

"How do we do that?" she scowled, "He was afraid to give me a simple handshake earlier, and never stood within arm's reach of me while we walked. Hell, he practically wedged himself in the corner of the elevator to get away from me," she sighed, "It's instinctual at this point."

"His team will go a long way into fixing that," he smiled while taking another sip of tea, "It'll take some time but if there's anything that breaks down boundaries it's teenagers. Eventually he'll get used to it."

"Are you sure about putting all this pressure on him," she persisted, "I know you have more plans for him you're not telling me about."

' _And for good reason,_ ' he thought to himself. Glynda was an astounding huntress and professor. There were few he trusted as much as her. But when it came to students, she had a soft spot. One she showed this through extremely strict discipline. Regulation didn't really mean anything to her, she just wanted them safe. And Jaune was the soft spot within her soft spot. She would not be happy if she knew all his plans to get the boy ready.

"Some people break under pressure you know," she finished.

"He'll manage," the headmaster said, gazing out over his pride and joy, Beacon academy. Then whispered to himself, "He has to."

 **And here… we… go… Thanks for reading everyone. This one is still a bit shorter than what should be expected in the future. I just felt that this was the best stopping point. Otherwise this chapter would be like 2 or 3 times larger.**

 **Thank you everyone who favorited and reviewed. You always read authors say "the reviews are what keeps me going". I never understood that until I read the first few from you all. It really does mean so much to me that someone was willing to read and reply to my work. So thanks again.**

 **I thought I was being subtle but you guys got Rogue really easy. She is where I got the initial inspiration for his semblance, but it's only the skin contact and general dislike of their own abilities. The actual power is entirely different and isn't as simple as mind control. But I don't want to spoil it.**

 **I'll admit i'm having a little trouble trying to nail down the appropriate tone for this story. On one hand I want this to have some serious moments that actually address unique and meaningful issues. But on the other I absolutely love the light hearted humor of the actual show. Hopefully it'll be easier to find that line between as the story goes on.**

 **So next chapter is orientation and may carry all the way through initiation. What do you guys want the teams to be? I'm leaning towards keeping them the same simply because it'll be easier (and won't make the RWBY purist's mad). But I also think it could be really fun to write out something different. Particularly if he's partnered with Yang or Nora. They're both so outgoing that it'd be interesting to see the interactions that come about.**

 **I've only just started the next chapter so it'll probably be around a day before it's ready for you all.**

 **So let me know what you think or if you noticed any mistakes I made. I hate those. Thanks again.**


	3. Chapter 2: Unwanted Preparation

Chapter 2: Unwanted Preparation (posted 7/9/17)

Jaune's mind was in a jumble. Everything had gone so terribly wrong in an instant. The word _**team**_ sent a shiver down his spine. There was no possible way this would end well. Sure, if he was careful everything should be fine. But one slip up and there would be no coming back.

He was calling it now. Everything will work out at first. He'll make some friends, and then just as he lets his guard down, it'll all come crashing down.

He couldn't believe Ozpin was ok with this. The headmaster had been there with him from the beginning, since he first noticed the signs with Dorch and reached out for help. He knew what could happen but was acting like it was no big deal. It was unbelievable.

The stress built and built within him as he tried to come up with a solution for his predicament. Short of dropping out, he couldn't think of any. But he needed Beacon.

Contrary to popular belief, not all huntsman school graduates became huntsman. They were certainly the majority, but some also went into research, be it grimm analysis, dust and weapon development, or even… aura studies. If he wanted to get into the highest level aura research labs he needed to graduate from a top huntsman school. Otherwise he'd be stuck back at home, experimenting in his basement.

' _Maybe I should give up,_ ' he thought. Why did he even want to get into aura research anymore? He originally wanted to figure out how to fix his family, but Ozpin had taken him around to every researcher, doctor, or spiritualists in Remnant. Anyone who claimed to have some knowledge in aura... They all said it was impossible. Not even just impossible right now, but impossible forever, regardless of advancements in technology.

At first he hadn't believed them. Told himself they were all idiots and he'd figure it out himself. But then he tried that experiment on Flopsy… It really was impossible. He should give up, move on, and live his life. He was about to do just that, when he remembered something.

" _I can't do it Dad. I'm too little and it's really, reallllly heavy," he whined up to the man, having finally had enough of swinging the stupid sword. It was taller than he was!_

" _Don't say that Jaune," his father said, kneeling down to be at eye level with him, "you can do it."_

" _No I can't! It's impossible!" he'd pouted. His dad had just looked at him and sighed, knowing that he was dangerously close to a full blown temper tantrum._

" _Hey, did I ever tell you the story of Goud Arc?" his father asked_

" _No,"_

" _Do you want to hear it?"_

" _No!" he stubbornly parroted,_

" _Are you sure? He was the very first Arc to become a huntsman," his father said with a smug smile._

" _Really. Was he suuuuuper strong? Did he save a princess? Defeat an army of evil huntsman?" little jaune had instantly forgotten his grievances and jumping up and down in excitement._

" _Haha, let me tell the story," he said, smirking at Jaune's predictability._

" _Goud Arc grew up a long, long time ago," he began, "You see, back then you didn't choose what job you wanted to do, you just did whatever your family did. So if your father was a farmer, you were a farmer. Your father was a blacksmith, you were a blacksmith. But Goud Arc's father was not a huntsman, and yet he became one anyway."_

" _What's so special about that?" he naively asked._

" _Well, he had to learn how to unlock his aura, train with a weapon, and fight grimm all on his own. No books, no school, and no dad to train him," he said with a pointed look. Jaune blushed in embarrassment, "everyone made fun of him for trying. Said he'd get himself killed. But he wanted to be a hero. His head was filled with dreams of adventure and excitement. A lot like you actually," he said, ruffling Jaune's hair._

" _Then he proved all the dummies wrong and was super strong," Jaune predicted, pushing his father's hand away._

" _No. He was awful just like they said." His dad laughed at the gobsmacked expression on Jaune's face._

" _That's a stupid story," he grumbled and pulled back, feeling tricked._

" _Hold on a sec. I'm not done," his father grabbed him before he got away, "Yes he was terrible. He was so bad everyone made fun of him. But… he never gave up. He tried and tried and tried as hard as he could until one day a swarm of grimm attacked," Jaune gasped, immediately drawn back in._

" _There were so many, the family of huntsman that normally defended the village fled, leaving everyone to die," for a moment his father made an expression he'd never seen before. It wasn't the face of the doting man who loved his family. For a second, he got a glimpse of the veteran huntsman of 100's of missions, made of steel instead of smiles. But Jaune blinked and it was gone._

" _Goud Arc stayed with the villagers to face the grimm. Besides him, no one else even had there aura unlocked. He had a simple sword and shield while everyone else had axes and pitchforks."_

" _So he beat all the mean monsters and saved the day… right?" he'd looked up at his father expectantly, but received a sigh and a sad shake of the head._

" _I'm afraid this isn't one of those sorts of stories…. Goud Arc knew that the fight would be bloody and most, if not all, of the villagers would die. So he distracted the horde of grimm and lead them away from everyone, giving them time to escape."_

" _So he did save the day!" Jaune whooped with joy._

" _Yeah… he did," his father gave him a sad smile, "but that was also the last time he was ever seen." Jaune froze._

" _What?" he whispered_

" _His family searched for him later, but all they ever found was his sword lying in the middle of a torn up field."_

" _I don't like this story," Jaune had whimpered, trying to push away._

" _This is important Jaune!" his father's voice was hard as stone, "If you really want to become a huntsman, this is something you need to understand," he'd grabbed Jaune by the chin and forced him to meet his eyes. The huntsman was there again._

" _Remnant is a dark and dangerous place, filled with more sad stories than happy ones. If you really want to become a huntsman, a hero, then you have to be willing to give it all, because the world won't take anything less._

 _There'll be times in your life where everything's against you, where there's no hope. If you let them, these moments will extend until they dominate your life. So you have to fight. Give it everything you have or else your life will fall apart and everything you care about will end._

 _Goud Arc fought, and because of that he saved everyone. In return they built his family this estate where the Arc's have carried on his legacy for generations. We don't give up no matter the odds. No matter the consequences. That's what it means to be a Hero."_

He'd kinda forgotten about his father's serious side. It had faded ever since Jaune's semblance affected him, starting the moment he said those fateful words and unlocked his aura.

Jaune sighed. The memory had knocked him out of his dark brooding, but did nothing to fix his dilemma. It was one thing to say never give up, but that was a stupidly general statement, meant more for fairy tales and pep talks, not real life. What if he continues on and harmed someone else because of it? It's one thing if the consequences of your actions hurt yourself, it's something else entirely if others have to bear them.

What would he do if he affected someone. So far it had only been his family. If it was someone else h-

"Hey! DON'T IGNORE ME JERK!"

Ruby Rose was not having a good day. First her sister abandoned her, than she bumped into that mean white haired girl, and now she was truly and hopelessly lost. Just how big was this place?

' _It's a school for Huntsmans. Why do they need an ice skating rink?_ ' she thought, leaving said room and exiting out into another winding hall that lead to who knows where. She couldn't do anything but sigh, pick a direction and walk. Room to room, hall to hall she continued hoping to find some map or at least a person to get directions from. It felt like she was going in circles.

' _That or they have two identical ice skating rinks_ ,' she wailed, resigning herself to the fact she'd miss the welcome ceremony. But than she rounded a corner and found someone sitting on a bench just a little ways ahead. She was saved!

"Excuse me," she said, rushing up to him. Excited to finally figure out where she was... But he didn't reply… or even move.

"Hello?" Maybe it was just a mannequin or really life like statue. It was hard to tell because of all the clothing. She got closer to get a better look. No! She could see him breathing!

"Hey! DON'T IGNORE ME JERK!" she yelled right in his face. He bolted upright in surprise, almost falling off the back of the bench as he reeled away from her.

"Oh… Hello," he said awkwardly, sliding sidways so he could stand up away from her, "What did you say?"

"It's rude to ignore people you know," she pouted at him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. Rubbing the back of his head, "I was kindof lost in thought. I didn't mean to."

"Ok," she sighed, scrutinizing him. At least he apologized, "I was wondering if you could tell me where the auditorium is. I need to get there quick."

"Sure. What's the rush?"

"For the welcome ceremony dummy," she said exasperated, "I'm a new student here."

"That's not till 3:00" he waved her off.

"It's 2:55," she wailed, shoving her scroll in his face.

"Oh crap," he exclaimed before mumbling something under his breath, "We have to hurry," he declared, and without another word, turned and quickly walked down the hall.

"Wait up," she called, zipping to catch up with him, "You're a new student too?"

"Uhhh.. yeah,"

"How do you know your way around Beacon than? It seems like a giant maze to me." she complained.

"Haha. Yeah it's like that at first. This school is filled with hidden and forgotten stuff that few people use. Did you know they have two ice skating rinks?"

"AHA! I knew I wasn't going in circles!" she screammed in triumph.

"Uhh yeah…. Anyway i'd recommend spending some free time figuring your way around. Otherwise you'll constantly get lost when you need to get anywhere."

"Thanks! I'm Ruby by the way. Ruby Rose," she said with a smile. Time to try and make friends.

"I'm Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you Ruby," he said with a smile of his own. But she could see it didn't make it to his eyes, "anyway… i don't want to be rude, but why are you covered in soot?"

"Oh. ha ha.. I kinda... blew up."

"Blew up?"

" _Ok Ruby. We don't want to embarrass ourselves so let's make this explanation quick.'_

"I kinda wasn't looking where I was going and bumped into this mean girl with all her luggage and It was filled with dust so it spilled everywhere so I said i was sorry but she didn't care and started yelling at me, so she was shaking stuff around and lecturing about all this stuff and I just really had to sneeze so suddenly everything blew up and she started yelling at me more and more until this other girl came up and said she was an heiress and they got in a fight but then they both left leaving me all alone and i got lost!" she blurted out.

' _Stupid brain. I meant quick short not quick fast! Now he's gonna think I'm weird,'_ but when she looked at him he wasn't cringing or looking at her like she was crazy.

"Hahahahaha," he suddenly burst out laughing.

"It wasn't that funny," she pouted.

"I'm sorry," he wheezed, "It's just... I haven't heard anyone other than my sister fit that much in one breath."

"So you have a sister" she asked, trying to cover up her embarrassed blush.

"Seven actually," he replied, wiping tears away and smiling. A real smile this time.

"Wow. That's a lot."

"You have no idea."

"Which one has a motor mouth like me?"

"Jean, the 3rd oldest. I swear she could recite an entire book in one breath when we were kids." he said almost proudly.

"So she grew out of it?"

"Uh.. Yeah… something like that," he said, the smile fading from his face, "anyway we're almost there. It's just around the corner."

"Yay," she cheered, "come on we're almost late," she burst into a run, excited to get the school year underway.

It had been interesting meeting RWBY. She brought up good memories with her childish personality. He hadn't laughed that hard in a long time.

Once they got to the auditorium she'd run off to join her other friends he presumed. She apologizing for leaving him, but he was ok with that. He was more than happy to avoid the crowds and instead retreat to a nice dark corner.

He thought Ozpin's speech had been a little odd, but so was the man. It was also nice not to hear another "work hard and you'll succeed speech". So with the incredibly brief welcoming ceremony over, the students were released to explore and mingle.

He saw Ruby on the other side of the auditorium. She was so easy to spot with that red hood. The red hair helped too. It was debatable who was more eye catching, her or the blond she stood next to. He debated going over and talking with them, but decided against it.

' _I'm not even sure I'm staying here,'_

He sighed and exited the auditorium. He needed to find Ozpin and try to talk some sense into him. He had been so shocked when they had last met, he hadn't even put up a real argument. This was his dilemma solution. He would make his father proud and not give up, but he wouldn't endanger others because of it.

' _I'll force the stupid tea obsessed man to listen. I can't be on a team'_

Or at least, that's what he thought 7 hours ago when he first went looking for him. He had since searched Beacon top to bottom, but the mysterious professor Oz was nowhere to be found. It was now dark and he was starting to think the man was actually hiding from him. Glynda had tried to help, telling him where the stupid headmaster should be multiple times. But he'd always arrive to find an empty classroom or office. Finally, he called off the search and decided to retire for the night.

' _I'll get you tomorrow Ozpin_ ,' he swore to himself.

But now that his search was over, he had to deal with one of the greatest challenges of his life. Surviving the night in the ballroom… with 100's of teenagers. Luckily he had brought his secret weapon.

' _How can 2 people be so noisy?'_ Blake asked herself, trying desperately to get immersed in her wonderful book. But try as she might, she couldn't help but listen to the fight between Weiss Schnee and the curvy Blond.

It had started when the heiress had come to lecture the redhead again for the incident earlier. Typical Schnee attitude to hold every little grudge. It had been low key at first until the blond had come to little red's defense. Since, it had devolved into a shouting match that had every student in the room watching them. It looked like it was about to come to blows when they both suddenly froze in place.

"Is this a school for huntsman or children?" Ms. Goodwitch shouted, stepping into the center of the room, "here you are expected to act like adults not immature hooligans." she then raised her riding crop and with a gesture lifted the two girls apart, placing them on their respective sleeping bags. Everyone stared in awe at her casual display of power.

"I've had enough for today," she fumed, "You will all need your energy for tomorrow so i suggest you turn in now," she said with a look that made it clear it was not actually a suggestion.

"But-" the heiress began.

"No buts Ms. Schnee. Go to bed," she said with a terrifying scowl, "the next person who disturbs everyone wil-" she was cut off by a loud screech and groan as the double doors leading into the room slowly opened.

Everyone was silent as they watched a student slip in before closing the doors again with an equally loud screech. He turned around and froze, realizing the attention he had drawn to himself.

"Ummmm. Hi." he said awkwardly raising his hand. Blake actually felt bad for him then, certain he would receive Ms. Goodwitch's ire.

"Thank you for joining us Mr. Arc," the stern woman sighed, "Was your search successful?"

"Oh… No. I'll have to try again tomorrow. Thanks anyway for the help Glyn-Ms. Goodwitch." he replied, awkwardly corrected himself as the professor scowled at him.

Who was this guy. Was he suicidal, or did he actually have a close relationship with one of the top huntresses of Vale. She scrutinized him carefully and wasn't impressed. He was wearing one of the most ridiculous outfits she'd ever seen. Baby blue footie pajamas with bunnies for feet… He completed the look with an equally blue hood and white gloves. The only features she could really tell about him through the baggy one piece was that he was tall with blond hair and blue eyes. Nothing remarkable. But...

"Well we were just going to put out the lights. So if you would please find a spot to sleep, we'll call it a night," Ms. Goodwitch sighed.

"Ok. Goodnight Professor," he said before walking towards the far corner of unoccupied sleeping bags and took the one furthest away from everyone else.

' _There's something about him,_ ' Blake thought, her bow twitching as she watched him lay down. Her faunus instincts didn't kick in often, but when they did, she listened. And right now they were telling her to keep an eye on the unremarkable blond.

' _Who in their right minds lets a bunch of horny male and female teenagers share a room together?_ ' Jaune wondered with bloodshot eyes the next morning as he sat to eat breakfast.

His plan to isolate himself in the unoccupied corner had backfired. Twice throughout the night couples had sneaked to his corner to try and get some... "alone time". This left him in the awkward position of pretending it wasn't happening or interrupting them and dealing with the embarrassing situation. He had gone with option number 2 when the moaning got too loud for him to simply imagine the situation away.

Stupid teenage hormones. It wasn't like he couldn't understand. You have to be in peak physical shape in order to be a huntsman. So everyone was really good looking and going through the most hormonal driven part of their lives…. With no parental supervision. It was surprising there weren't more than 2 incidence honestly.

"Good morning Jaune," Ruby said, sitting down across from him.

"Speak for yourself," he grumbled back.

"Awww. Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bead?" a blond girl asked, sitting down next to Ruby, "Or maybe it was those bunny slippers. Did they eat your feet through the night?" she smirked.

This right here was what he was talking about. On one hand there was the cute and lean Ruby who he just wanted to cuddle next to and never let go. On the other was the blond who had more curves than should be legal on a 17 year old. What was a guy to do with girls like this everywhere you looked.

"Don't be mean Yang!" Ruby whined at her.

"Oh i'm just teasing baby sister," Yang relented.

"Sister?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah! Ruby here is a prodigy," The blond boasted while wrapping said girl in a bear hug.

"Yang… ca-eek."

"She was admitted 2 years early because of how amazing she is!"

"Oh really? How'd that happen?"

"She was totally awesome and stopped some dust robbers."

"Cool, but i think Ms. awesome is going to pass out if you keep strangling her," Jaune said gesturing to the blue face Ruby now sported.

"Whoops," Yang released her and Ruby gasped back to life.

"Yang. I told you I didn't want people knowing that," she said once she caught her breath, "I just want to be normal. Regular knees remember?"

"Sorry sis. I'm just so proud of you," Yang squealed going for another hug. But received a punch to the face instead. Quickly, a play fight ensued with the sisters rolling around and wrestling for domination. Ruby was frankly outmatched in every category other than speed so she quickly found herself pinned.

"Surrender!" Yang demanded.

"Never!" Ruby struggled without result.

"Than you leave me no choice," the blond smirked evilly as she kept the smaller girl pinned with her knees and reached down.

"No don-" the redhead managed before Yang's fingers viciously began to tickle her ribs, "NO…. this isn't… you're… fighting… dirty." she managed between painful laughs.

"I gave you a chance. This is your punishment." and so it continued until Yang decided Ruby's cries for mercy were enough.

"Well did you like the show?" Yang said with a saucy smile as she sat down across from Jaune again.

"What?" He replied in confusion

"Two hot sisters wrestling in front of you. Got your blood flowing didn't it," she said with a knowing smirk, "If only we were in our underwear."

Jaune honestly didn't know how to reply, and probably looked like an idiot with his jaw hung open. Did she really just say that?

"YANG!" Ruby screeched. Turning beet red. And before anything more could be said, she grabbed her sister and disappeared into a cloud of rose petals.

'WHAT!?' Jaune was frozen in hormonal shock for a while. He was so confused he hardly bat an eye as a lone girl ate a stack of pancakes as tall as he was.

"Yang. What were you thinking?" Ruby screeched at her after they came out of the blurring whirl of rose petals.

"Aww come on sis. I was only teasing," Yang replied with an easy smile.

"That was a little much for simple teasing," Ruby persisted.

"Ok and a little flirting. He's not half bad looking," she admitted, "but come on I had too. You see the way he dresses and acts. I've never seen someone who needs pulled out of their shell as much as him."

"You didn't have to be so inappropriate about it." Ruby pouted.

"So Cute," Yang teased, "that wasn't very inappropriate Ruby,"

"Yes it was!"

"That's nothing compared to what some people were doing last night," she said with a smirk. She had to thank Jaune for stopping them actually. A girl needs her beauty sleep after all.

"Last night? What were people doing last night?" she said so naively Yang knew she meant it. Ah, she'd forgotten how heavy of a sleeper her little sister was.

"Never mind. We should go get our stuff so we're ready for initiation."

"Ok!" Ruby cheered.

' _And i need to come up with some good pranks to pull on tall, blond, and awkward_ ,' Yang thought with an evil grin.

Jaune somehow found his way to initiation. Yang had really caught him by surprise there. So much so he had failed to search for Ozpin like he planned. He supposed It didn't really matter since the headmaster would be there for initiation. So instead of worrying about it, he quickly retrieved his gear from his jet locker (still one of the coolest things ever in his opinion) and headed towards the cliffs where they were told to meet.

He was one of the last to arrive, and found everyone else lined up on grey platforms. It looked like some sort of ceremonial starting point to the initiation. In front of the line stood Ozpin and Glynda, waiting patiently for everyone to get into position.

"Hey Ozpin," Jaune said approaching the headmaster, "I wanted t-"

"Just a moment Jaune," he cut him off, "Let me get initiation underway, and then we can talk.

"Ok," he grumbled. He guessed that was fair. Everyone else was ready and waiting. So he walked back and took his place on the far platform.

After a brief pause, Ozpin began. He explained the premise of the test and how partners would be decided. Jaune thought it was a little ridiculous to have something so important based on luck. But the man had been doing this for a while so he wouldn't judge.

' _Maybe team compositions didn't really matter_ ,' ACK he had accidentally thought THE word. It still gave him chills.

Regardless Ozpin wrapped it up and Jaune looked around for the bullhead that would take them down the cliff. But first he needed to talk with Ozpin. There was no way he'd allow himself to be on a team.

Just as he was about to step forward and confront the headmaster, the man turned and looked at him, an evil smirk on his face. Jaune was confused for a moment before he heard the soft clicking beneath his feet.

"You son of a b-" he got out before being launched into the air. He'd been played!

 **MWAHAHAHA. And so initiation begins. I hope you guys liked the chapter. I tried to find a healthy median of new content mixed with my favorite parts of cannon. I particularly liked having an actual explanation for the footie pajamas.**

 **How did you guys like the flashback? I tried not to be entirely cliche with his reasoning for continuing on. So i tried to mesh a feeling of "never give up" with the darkness of Remnant. I'm worried it didn't turn out very good, which is pretty bad since it is gonna be the base for Jaune's motivation for a while. Please let me know what you think.**

 **So finally I have a question I'd really like replies to. How naughty should I make this story? Obviously I made it rated M so I can go as bad as I want, but that was more for gore and general dark topics which'll eventually come about. I'm not really sure how descriptive I should be with the more sexual aspects. I tried to take a middle ground this chapter. Nothing too extreme but not really PG either. So should I go more descriptive and really get into the.. ehem... physics of the characters bodies as they move around? (I don't mean full blown lemons or anything, but a lot more detail.) Or should I keep it around this level where it's still there but not in your face? I honestly don't know what to do.**

 **Next chapter is imitation. Right now i'm going with Yang as his partner but could be convinced otherwise if some people are particularly passionate about it. We'll finally be getting some action scenes which i'm excited to get to.**

 **So thank you all again for reading. I'm trying to nail down a good time frame for making these chapters. I want to come out with new ones quickly, but at the same time I want to make a quality story. So I need to find a healthy balance between the two, where chapters aren't sloppy and rushed, but it doesn't take me a month to write one either. I also don't want to become one of those asshole writers that burn out and leaves all of you hanging. I will never do that. I may go on hiatus for a month here or there to give the muse some time to recharge. But i'm in for the long hall. There's nothing that gets my OCD going more than an unfinished story.**

 **Thanks again you beautiful people. GrumpyHobo OUT!**

 **P.S. Quick note to address some concerns I've been receiving in the comments. Jaune isn't some powerless fraud without any skills like in cannon. I thought I'd hinted to that with his crazy aura control last chapter, and because Ozpin and Glynda actually know him personally... so obviously he can't trick them with a fake transcript. So No. Jaune isn't a fraud. He's not some an all powerful mother fucking bad ass, but he has some ability beyond his semblance.**


	4. Chapter 3: Unwanted Initiation

**Quick Warning (dun dun duh). This story is rated M for a reason. The action here's gonna be a little messy. Not gore porn level or anything, but certainly more brutal than canon. You have been warned. Thanks for reading.**

Chapter 3: Unwanted Initiation (posted 7/12/17)

He was absolutely furious. That sick, manipulative, tea drinking, asshole had tricked him. But there was no time to think about it now. Quickly, he tried to orientate himself in the air and get a better bearing on where he'd land. It was difficult because of the crazy spin he had developed on launch.

' _That bastard didn't even let me get in a proper stance,_ ' He complained, positioning his limbs to create air resistance and slow his twisting tumble. When he finally straightened out, he was only moments away from impacting a tree. All he could do was pull out his spear and brace it in front of him with as much aura as possible before the impact. And what an impact it was. He broke through 4 trees before crashing into the ground with a mighty boom.

' _That actually Hurt!_ ' Jaune groaned as he extracted himself from the crater he'd made. It had been a while since anything had really hurt him. Perks of having a larger than average aura pool and really good control of it. Regardless, what was Ozpin thinking? Sure anyone with aura should survive that fall, but if their landing was bad or just unlucky (like his), someone with a small aura capacity would likely be running on empty. Leaving them vulnerable in a grimm infested forest. Great idea!

Jaune had half a mind to march right back to the cliff and give the man a piece of his mind, initiation be damned. But a growl halted that thought. As he watched, all around him red eyes emerged from the shadows, coalescing into monsters. He was surrounded by a pack of beowolf.

' _Stupid fucking idiot,_ ' He cursed himself. He'd forgotten rule number one! You never let your guard down in grimm infested territory. His father would have beat his ass for being so careless back in the day.

Quickly, Jaune activated his weapon's conversion. Splitting the spear down the middle, he grabbed each half which flattened along their lengths creating 2 razor sharp blades. The two 3 and half foot swords he now held were simple but effective, designed for attacking rapidly instead of powerfully. This was the crowd control option on his weapon Aislamiento. Perfect for dealing with the cute puppies that circled him.

But these beowolf were disturbingly patient as more and more of their brethren emerged from the darkness. This made Jaune very nervous. The leader of this pack must have been a particularly old and cunning creature. Beowolf were well known for their incredible bloodlust, only overshadowed by their incredible stupidity. They were pack animals. In living creatures that shows intelligence. In monsters however, it generally correlates with weak, young, and stupid. Most species of grimm became solitary beasts at a certain power level, beowolf being part of that majority. But this pack's behavior was indicating something different.

Jaune glanced around, being sure to keep his guard up. He tried to spot the leader, which should have been slightly larger. But no luck.

' _Maybe that's what they're waiting for. Their leader's arrival_ ,' Jaune thought

With a subtle shift of his feet, he positioned himself towards the weakest looking point in the formation of grimm around him. The pack had grown from 8 to 17 in the past minute. He decided it was best to not let that number grow even larger. So without any further hesitation, he charged.

As a child he would have accompanied that with an, as he imagined it, mighty battle cry. But his father had knocked that habit right out of him. Grimm were not regular life forms. They had no doubts, no worries, no fear. So a battle cry did nothing in the way of intimidation. Thus, using one would just wind him faster… and make him look like an idiot.

The first beowolf he approached reared back its arms in preparation, but instead of colliding directly with the far larger monster, he leapt up and over, easily clearing the grimm's swipe. As he passed, he stabbed down into the side of its unarmored neck, killing it instantly in a spray of putrid black blood.

' _OK, maybe not instantly,_ ' Jaune thought, looking back at the creature writhing on the ground, _'It's out of the fight though... so close enough.'_

While humans or even most animals would be concerned about the loss of one of their kin, the grimm didn't give the dying creature so much as a second glance. Jaune hardly had enough time to get into a ready stance before the next monster was upon him. He narrowly ducked the swinging paw, reminding himself he didn't have a shield to take big hits with, but used his lower stance to slash the attacker's ankle. His aura enhanced blade passed through with minimal resistance, making the beast screech and fall forwards

Normally he would have turned back to finish off the severely handicapped beowolf, but was forced to drop down to his stomach as a set of jaws snapped closed where his head had been. In retaliation, he turning and jamming a sword through the attacker's chin. His reward was a shower of black blood across his face and torso.

Quickly, he rolled out from under the dying beast before it collapsed. With an aura enhanced pushup, he returned to his feet, squinting as some of the blood dripped into his eyes. He was unprepared when a mighty blow took him from the side. Tumbling head over heels, he flew across the ground and through a couple trees before sliding to a stop in a small clearing.

' _What the fuck was that?_ ' Jaune groaned as he pushed himself up, _'That wasn't the hit of some whimpy Beowolf._ ' He got his answer when he rubbed his eyes and squinted up. In the middle of the pack, was the largest Beowolf he had ever seen. Easily six of seven times larger than the others, it glared at Jaune, Its eye's held a menacing intelligence that made him shiver a little.

It had waited for the perfect moment. Jaune had been off balance, and partially blinded. The ideal situation for an ambush, but one that only lasted an instant. The ability to anticipate and time that attack demonstrated a disturbing level of battle awareness that Jaune had never faced in a grimm.

' _I have to take it out first,_ ' he decided. It's planning capabilities increased the danger of the rest of the pack tremendously. Not to mention it's individual strength. He'd be feeling that blow tomorrow. It was time to come up with a plan.

But before he could implement any idea, the alpha made a strange growl and gestured in Jaune's direction. In response, the pack charged towards him, the leader followed behind at a more sedate pace.

' _This clever fucker,_ ' Jaune scowled as he got back into his ready stance. It was going to wear him out first, or wait for another easy opening like last time. Well Jaune would be damned before he let that happen.

The wall of beowolf was nearly upon him. Some roared as they approached. Jaune screamed back in retaliation as they collided together. His father would be ashamed.

0000000000000000000000000000000000

Yang was having the time of her life. The Emerald forest was like a playground to a thrill seeker like her. And whoever had set up the launch pads was a genius. It was a little mean to launch Jaune without a warning… But she had gotten a good laugh hearing his cursing as he flipped through the air. Everyone else had been able to learn from his example at least and thus brace for takeoff as it moved down the line. And the flight had been so exhilarating!

Once she nailed the landing, she only walked a few feet before meeting a couple cuddly ursa. They had been a ton of fun to play with at first. Than one had to go and mess with her hair. Spoil sports ruined the game. They got what they deserved.

Since then she had walked onward, hoping to find another evil bastard to punch holes in. Her enthusiasm was actually dying out rather rapidly as she met no resistance.

"Hello!" she yelled out, "Anyone there?" no response, "I'm getting bored!" still nothing. She could only sigh and continue onward. Eventually, she heard some muffled roars in the distance.

' _Finally some action_ ,' she thought excitedly, dashing in that direction. Occasionally she'd hear another howl so she just had to followed the noise until arriving at the edge of a clearing.

' _That's a lot of beowolves,_ ' she thought excitedly, activating ember celica. They were swarming through a small clearing. She was about to charge in when she noticed someone else was already fighting them. It was hard to see what was going on through all the beowolves, but a quick jump up a tree for a better view fixed that.

Jaune Arc was a whirling storm of blades. He hopped, dove, spun, and rolled through the pack, poking and slashing whenever he had the chance. His blades were ridiculously sharp, cutting through beowolf like butter. It was a fairly impressive display.

There were problems though. The sheer number of them made it really difficult for him to dodge and block everything. But he weathered the blows he did take with surprising ease. He also seemed a little distracted, glancing away from the battle at random moments and making some rather foolish mistakes with how he used his weapons.

It was a tough fight. Either side could win. Already around half the pack were killed or severely wounded, but Jaune was also showing signs of fatigue. It was time for her to crash this party.

00000000000000000000000000000000000

'Where is it?' Jaune thought, sidestepping a beowolf's lunge and countering with a quick slash to its flank. He had tried his best to keep an eye on the alpha throughout the fight, but had been forced to look away during a particularly intricate and dangerous moment. It had taken that opportunity to move locations.

Now he was getting sloppy and impatient. The stress of an ambush was making him lose focus, and thus expose his issues with Aislamiento.

' _I should have practiced with it more instead of focusing on aura so much,_ ' he complained in his head. Well nothing he could do about it now. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say. He wouldn't be having so much difficulty if he hadn't lost a big chunk of his aura in the crash landing and another chunk to that cheap shot from the alpha. He was confident he'd be able to finish off the small fry, it was the fight after with the big one that would be dangerous.

For a moment, he considered taking off his gloves and using his semblance to finish up. This fight and the one with the alpha afterwards would be easy if he did. But... he really didn't want to. If he became too reliant on it he'd grow careless and overconfident. And he despised his semblance... But this fight was difficult enough that he'd shove his pride and hate away to save his ass.

He was interrupted from his planning by a streaking comet crashing into the crowd of beowolf in front of him. There were gouts of flames and explosions accompanied by the distinctive bangs of a shotgun. Rocks, dirt, and grimm were tossed around in all directions with impressive force.

"Have no fear. I'm hear to save you my damsel in distress," came a voice from the dust cloud.

"Hey Yang," Jaune sighed as he cut through the arm of another beowolf. It was nice of her to assist, but did she need to tease him in the middle of a fight?

"Yang? I think you mean Sir Xiao long. For I am a knight, come to save my beloved from those who would do her harm," she said with a smirk while continuing to pound grimm into the ground. That was an impressive display of strength…. and multitasking. It's hard to come up with good banter while fighting for your life.

Jaune could only chuckle and continue to deal out his own brand of death. It was much easier with Yang taking half their attention. In no time at all they cleaned up the last of them, allowing him to truly focus on locating the alpha… but it was nowhere to be found.

"Whatchya lookin' for?" Yang asked as she skipped up to him, "Don't look so paranoid. I'm here to protect you now."

He just rolled his eyes, "There was a leader to the pack. Biggest beowolf i've ever seen. It was like 30 feet tall," he exclaimed, still glancing around

"Are you sure?" she dropped the sassy smirk and looked around herself, "Something that big would have to be ancient."

"Pretty sure," he chuckled, "thing bitch slapped me through some trees."

"Well i'm not seeing a puppy that large, so unless it's also invisible it must have ran off. Or my ** _fair_ ** lady imagined it."

Jaune ignored her ribbing and continued to search. Either one of those options terrified him. If it was invisible they were screwed obviously, and if it retreated that could also be a disaster. Grimm didn't retreat out of fear. They only did it when there was some form of tactical advantage. Who knows what it was planning. He was about to say they should leave now, but instead sighed in pleasure.

The black blood that coated him was finally evaporating away along with the rest of the grimm. He ignored it out of necessity in battle, but now the unpleasant stickiness made him want to retch. Grimm blood wasn't like animal blood. It was thick like tar and, even worse, smelled of death and decay. He had been covered in the stuff from head to toe. So it was wonderful to get off.

Now if only the odor evaporated too. It was one of the most disgusting smells in the world, and no matter how much you scrubbed it never seem to come out. It was actually fairly easy to tell if someone was an experienced huntsman. Just smell them. It wasn't an universal rule with range fighter like Glynda out there, but it was still a good indicator.

"So should we head out partner?" Yang asked with a big smile.

' _PARTNER!?'_ That word made him shiver more than team. What should he do? He hadn't gotten to talk with Ozpin about his refusal to be on a team yet. Should he tell her now so she could go find a new partner? It was going to be a little hard to explain. Maybe it would be easier to just let it lie for now while there was still a massive beowolf out there.

"Did you see where the abandoned temple was while we dropped in?" he asked.

"Oh did the excitement of initiation have you a little _**turned around?**_ " she giggled, referring to his less than graceful flight and reaching out to shove him playfully.

' _What a terrible pun_ ,' he cringed while stepping back instinctively out of reach. She paused with her arm outstretched, noticing his withdrawal. She took a step towards him, and he took a step back. They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before a predatory look flashed through her eyes.

With incredible agility she sprung to his side and wrapped him in a headlock. He barely got his hands up as she wrapped her arm around his neck.

"What's the big idea," she whined in his ear, "You're not afraid of little old me are ya?"

Jaune couldn't reply. He was using every ounce of his concentration and strength to keep the exposed skin of her forearm away from his bare neck. By Oume was she strong. He could barely keep her away. He knew he should have worn a neck gaiter.

Finally, he got control of his panic and directed every ounce of aura into his arms. With a hiss of effort he wrenched her arm away and ducked out of her grasp. For a second he was worried he'd hurt her with the amount of force he put into his escape. But when he looked back, she wasn't cringing or cradling her arm.

"There aren't many people that can escape one of my headlocks," Yang said with a smile that made him very nervous.

"Umm… sorry?" he guessed, "I like my personal space."

"Hmmmmm… we'll have to work on that." she smirked while walking past him and out of the clearing, swaying her hips all the while.

'WHAT?!' Jaune couldn't help his male side imagining all sorts of pervy meanings behind those words. But that was quickly overrun by a more deep set panic and fear. He was paired with the worst possible person for him.

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Ruby was thinking the exact same thing elsewhere in the forest. Why, of all people, did she have to find Weiss first. She was so bossy and grumpy. Ruby had hoped they'd get along better once she proved herself in battle. But then everything had gone wrong. They'd gotten in each other's way during the fight, the forest was on fire, they were arguing about every little thing, and couldn't find the temple!

' _I just want Yang_ ,' she moaned to herself. Jaune or Blake would be fine even. She didn't know either very well but they seemed nice enough. Better than bossy Weiss at least. She wanted to use a different B word actually.

"Did you hear that?" Weiss asked while coming to a halt.

"Hear what?" She hadn't been paying very much attention, lost in her own thoughts.

"I'm not sure… It was a low thump."

"Like an explosion?"

"No… more like a tremor,"

Ruby strained her ears. * **Whump** *

"Oh I did hear it," She exclaimed, "did you?"

"Of course I did," Weiss scowled. The forest suddenly got much darker as a cloud passed over the sun. There was another tremor, much closer this time so Ruby pulled out Crescent Rose and Weiss took out her rapier.

They froze like that for a moment. Prepared for an attack from every direction… except from where it came. The forest got rapidly darker, and Ruby just barely had time to look up and see a massive body crash through the trees. It hadn't been a cloud blocking the sun.

With a burst of her semblance, she narrowly dodged out of the way of a clawed foot. She swiped out and gouged into the side of the massive nevermore. It screeched and began to take flight once more with a mighty beat of it's wings.

* **Whump** *

The air pressure alone was so powerful it slid Ruby back a few feat.

'We'll never beat it if it gets back in the air,' she realized. Glancing around, she found Weiss hunkered down a little ways behind her.

"Come on!" she shouted, while dashing forward and leaping onto the back of the bird.

"Are you crazy?" Weiss screamed back, but none the less followed her up, plunging her rapier down to make a hand hold.

With another screech and flap of its wings, the massive grimm began to really gain altitude, quickly clearing the tree canopy and continuing up... Way, way up.

"Well now what?" Weiss screamed over the howling wind.

She may not have thought this plan all the way through.

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' _What the fuck is wrong with the emerald forest_?' Jaune thought to himself as he ran with his fellow initiates.

It had been simple, and a little awkward, with Yang since they left the clearing. Not a single grimm had confronted them. They had found the temple pretty easily, and grabbed their relic or "cute pony" as Yang called it. Everything after had been ridiculous though.

Ruby fell from the sky right onto Yang. An orange haired girl rode an ursa into the clearing like a horse. Two other girls were chased to the temple by a huge deathstalker, and finally a girl, he assumed to be a Schnee because of her distinct white hair, dropped off of the biggest nevermore he had ever seen. Yang was nice enough to catch her too.

Now they were all running back towards the cliff with the two giant grimm following them. Jaune wondered at their ridiculously bad luck. The huge beowolf had been one thing, a fluke or freak of nature. But the deathstalker and nevermore, two grimm species that started out the same size as their animal counterparts… Something was up. This was supposed to be a relatively safe forest, used to train aspiring huntsman. Monsters like these shouldn't have been here. Once was an accident, twice was a coincidence, but three times...

Luckily they didn't have to fight them. The teachers should take care of them once they reach the cliffs. But things don't always go as planned.

As they cleared the forest and entered the open space between it and the cliffs, they ran headlong into a massive group of beowolves. Lead by the huge alpha from earlier.

"Oh come on!" he screamed as they all skidded to a halt. This was insane!

They were surrounded. The beowolves to the front, deathstalker a little ways behind, and nevermore flying above. Any one of these would be a challenging opponent for their group. All at once would be close to impossible.

For a second Jaune considered the likelihood of the teachers coming to help. Sure Ozpin had said they wouldn't interfere, but be real. This was too much for new students to take. But than he remembered. The insufferable headmaster knew about his semblance.

' _That bastard isn't going to help_ ,' he sighed in resignation. So he was left with the choice of using it or risking all of their lives. It wasn't much of a choice.

"Hey guys," he got their attention,"We should split up. Half take the beowolves and the others take the nevermore."

"What about the deathstalker?" Yang asked.

"Leave it to me," he replied, returning his spear to the mechanical clamp on his back.

"Are you crazy?" the white haired girl screeched.

"It would be best if someone assisted you," the girl with the bow said with a concerned frown.

"Just… trust me," he said with a tired smile, "I'll be fine."

"Well okyday then. Let's do this Renny," the orange haired girl chirped excitedly as her warhammer morphed into a grenade launcher. He had to admit, that was pretty cool. Close second to Ruby's scythe/sniper on the badass scale.

Jaune turned away and walked back towards the forest, trusting the others to handle themselves. Slowly… he took off his gloves.

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Everything was going great for Nora. Renny and her had made it into Beacon academy like they always wanted, and even better, they would be on the same team. She squealed at the thought of it.

' _We can stay together… but not_ _ **together**_ _togethe_ r,' she reminded herself while launching grenades up at the big birdie as it flew around. Stupid thing needed to come lower so she could hit it with her hammer.

"Careful Nora," her sweet Ren said as he shot a beowolf that had tried to sneak up behind her.

The plan to divide and conquer wasn't working too well. There were simply too many beowolves. Plus the once supposed to deal with them were too preoccupied with the biiiiiiiiig puppy, so they couldn't really cover all the iddie biddie ones. They weren't all that dangerous, but it was hard to focus with them constantly bugging her.

She was contemplating ignoring the birdie for a bit to help deal with the little guys when the big scorpion charged out into the clearing.

' _Guess blondy wasn't able to beat it_ ,' she thought sadly, but then something strange happened. Instead of attacking the humans, it went after the grimm, cutting through them with its massive pincers and striking out with its stinger as it charged towards the big puppy.

They collided with a loud thump. The beowolf grappled with the deathstalkers claws as each monster fought for dominance. The scorpion grimm lashed out with it's tail and gouged a hole into the alpha's shoulder in a spray of black. It howled in pain and bit down on one of the pincers in retaliation. With a shake of its head it tore the claw clean off, but instead of backing off, the deathstalker charged forward and clamped onto the wolf's neck with its remaining arm.

It dragged the alpha down to the ground and continually lashed out with it's tail, each strike creating another deep hole and dying the once bright orange stinger black. The beowolf attempted to fight back, but was having the life choked out of it. Eventually the pressure built up and the deathstalker cut clean through its neck with a disgusting squelching noise.

"That's payback for the cheap shot earlier!" Nora heard a voice call from the deathstalker. Looking closer, she saw the blond from earlier sitting on the scorpion's back without a care in the world. Was he crazy?

Everyone was frozen in shock. So much so that several of the little grimm got in a few cheap shots.

"Nora. We need to get the nevermore," Renny refocused her on the task at hand. She was really confused but she knew one thing for sure. That was totally awesome!

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Pyrrha didn't know what to think. The blond boy had ran off saying he'd handle the deathstalker. It had shocked her that he wanted to take it alone, considering she would have been hard pressed to manage that. And she didn't think it was too vain to think she was one of the strongest huntsman their age.

It actually excited her a little to meet someone that confidant in their abilities. Finally a person who wouldn't look at her like a celebrity and instead as another individual. She couldn't wait to actually meat him, and find out what he was really like. But instead of coming back after defeating the monster, he came back riding it.

Now he was beside her helping to fight the giant pack of beowolf that still remained. The deathstalker continued to run amok, bringing devastation to any grimm it encountered with its massive pincers. Wait… hadn't one of those been torn off?

She shook herself out of those thoughts and focused on the battle before her. The two blonds, Blake, and herself worked together and quickly cut their way through the horde… with some help from the friendly deathstalker. That still confused her.

They finished up just in time to watch the other four perform an amazing finisher. The black haired boy had acted as bait and drawn the grimm down with his boomerang pistols, than the orange haired girl had user her hammer to launch the girl in the red hood. Said girl than hooked the nevermore around the neck with her scythe and used the glyphs from Weiss to drag it up the cliff and eventually behead it on the top, creating a massive geyser of black. That was impressive.

She was glad she'd come to Beacon. At the very least it wouldn't be boring.

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 **Happy hump day and thank you all for reading! This Author's note is a long one since i'm gonna try and address why I chose Yang over other characters as his partner. Skip the next 6 paragraphs if you don't care.**

 **Let's start with the easy ones. I didn't go with Pyrrha because I wanted to challenge myself and go with someone different than canon. She's still gonna be an important part of this story, so don't worry about that. But sorry to anyone who wanted her.**

 **Ren and Nora. I considered both of these heavily. Ren because I haven't read any stories with Jaune partnered with him, so i thought it'd be fun. Nora because, similar to Yang, her upfront and forward nature will cause interesting situations with Jaune. But I simply LOVE these two together too much to separate them. Sorry again.**

 **Blake. I love Blake but for the story i'm trying to write she simply won't be the best partner for Jaune. Two introverts with dark secrets that they share together would make an awesome story, but it's simply not the one I want to tell. She'll still be important though. Sorry again again.**

 **Weiss. She is probably my least favorite RWBY character (infants on least favorite, not dislike). No offense to those who love her. It's probably just because I don't like the ice princess character type. Bitchy doesn't look good on anyone in my mind (though she wears it better than most). And while she's grown on me in canon as we've found out more of her back story, my opinion of her is probably still skewed because of that first season where she seemed so unreasonably rude. Sorry again again again. **

**Ruby. She was the closest to stealing the spot from Yang. But at the end of the day, for reasons i can't say because SPOILERS, I didn't go with her. She will be a veeeerry large part of this story though. She'll honestly be as much his partner as Yang is. But sorry again again again again to those who wanted her.**

 **In general. Yang just fits with where i'm planning to go. I'm gonna deepen her character quite a bit from canon and add some controversial stuff to her backstory to make some interesting moments in the future. Plus there's a few BIG scenes i've got planned that she's simply the perfect fit for. I hope you guys can trust me in this. I really did put a ton of time and thought into figuring out how each character would work out. But a final sorry to everyone who wanted someone different.**

 **So a little heads up for the future. I'm going to be making some assumptions, and changes to lore and stuff to fit in with what I want. Lot's of it is going to have to do with grimm since we haven't really been told much about them. Hopefully you'll enjoy the ideas I have since i've got some pretty epic plans for the future.**

 **How'd you like the action scenes? I tried to find this middle ground between the two types of action scene I like. I sometimes enjoy the author being very descriptive and showing every little move that transpires throughout the battle… but only for so long. After a few paragraphs of that I usually get bored. So I also like it when authors are more vague and general, letting my imagination fill in the gaps. So i tried to fall somewhere in between, switching between play by play narrations, and vague generalities.**

 **So which of the types do you guys like? High detail descriptions, vague generalities, or the middle ground i've tried to take? Let me know.**

 **You got the first glimpse of Jaune's semblance in this chapter. Still so much more to reveal. Mwahahahahaha. Don't worry. It's not going to be as completely OP as it may seem.**

 **How'd you guys like the grimm v. grimm fight. I'm excited to write more of those in the future.**

 **I enjoyed writing one scene in this chapter in particular. That being Ruby and Weiss getting on the nevermore's back. It always frustrated me that they never showed how that happened in canon. So I decided to create my own explanation.**

 **Also, nobody really replied to how "adult" I should be with the sexuality in this story when I asked last chapter. I understand why. It's a little awkward to say you want or don't want sexiness. I'm just gonna go with whatever I feel like for now.**

 **Well it now seems like i wrote more author's note than actual chapter. Sorry about that. Well, as always, thanks for reading. Those of you who reviewed are awesome. Quick shout out to REVAN004. They shall go down in history as the first person to PM me. That probably doesn't mean much to all you but it means the world to me.**

 **Thanks again. GrumpyHobo out.**


	5. Chapter 4: Unwanted Team

**I broke the 100 followers/favorites threshold! That means the world to me. Thanks a ton.**

 **Sorry this chapter took so long (it was supposed to be here yesterday but fanfic crashed and wasn't letting anyone post chapters). I've decided to avoid this kind of long gap without informing you by deciding on a release schedule. I will release one chapter every Saturday. If you don't see a chapter posted then, i'll post a small edit at the end of the previous chapter saying when to expect it. I'm honestly giving myself a lot of extra time here. I should be able to post 2 chapters a week not 1, but i don't want to push myself too hard. And now I get to surprise all of you with bonus chapters.**

 **Also another quick warning. The sexuality is going to get raised a little bit. There WON'T be lemons (a little hard for someone who doesn't want to touch people to get any). But i'm gonna be a little more descriptive. This story is rated M. So if you aren't old enough to be reading this… I can't really judge since I was watching porn when I was 14. Just don't get caught and blame it on me.**

 **I'm being a little overdramatic here. There really isn't anything all that bad in this chapter, but I want to warn the people that don't like any of that kind of stuff. I'm not going to go overboard with the sexuality, but it will pop up from time to time. Sorry if it bothers you.**

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Chapter 4: Unwanted Team (posted 7/23/17)

"Russel Thrush, Cardin Winchester, Dove Bronzewing, Sky Lark" Said students stepped forward as Ozpin called their names, "The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as team Cardinal (AN: I always though Curdle was more appropriate). Lead by… Cardin Winchester," Everyone clapped and cheered for the new team. Everyone… except Jaune.

He was too busy staring at the headmaster with the most hateful look he could manage, cursing his name in every way imaginable. But the insufferable man just sipped on his tea without noticing, or at least acting like he didn't.

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Jaune had feared that Oz would do his disappearing act again when initiation was over, thus preventing his refusal to be on a team. But the opposite had happened. Jaune had hardlly made it to the top of the cliff before Glynda approached him. She said Ozpin wanted to see him in his office, and then collected all of their relics before releasing them to do as they wished. There were still several hours until the team naming ceremony.

Without any hesitation, Jaune had marched straight towards the central tower, dodging the questions of his fellow students. He desperately wanting to take a shower first. The blood may have evaporated, but the sweat and dirt hadn't. And it would be nice to try, pointlessly perhaps, to scrub away the putrid smell of grimm. But this couldn't wait.

The headmaster had been sitting calmly at his desk when Jaune arrived. He wasted no time in demanding to be on his own team, without a partner or other teammates. Threatening to quit Beacon if this didn't happen. Ozpin had just frowned.

"I had hoped to congratulate you on an exemplary performance at initiation."

Well this was awkward, "...thanks," He had been a little rude barging in like that.

"However… I would recommend being more discreet with your semblance in the future," the headmaster warned, "It would be best to keep it a secret from everyone. There are some who would seek to use it for less… honorable purposes," the silver haired man warned, "Now back to your position on a team. I understand your reasoning Jaune, but I can't change this decision. It'll be a shame to not have you at this school," The headmaster finished with a sad shake of his head.

Jaune slumped in defeat. So he couldn't convince Oz. His last ditch effort had failed and he'd have to leave Beacon… Well he knew this might happen. He'd just have to try applying to a different school in the future.

' _Alsius academy wouldn't be too bad_ ,' he mused. The best aura research labs were in Atlas anyway.

"You'll need to pack your things and be gone by tomorrow. Please be a gentleman and help Ms. Xiao Long with her luggage as well.," the headmaster said as Jaune turned to leave.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"The girl had a ridiculous amount of bags. It'll take her a long time to carry it all to the airship. I believe she had an entire suitcase dedicated to hair care products alone."

"Why are her bags going on an airship!?"

"Every student needs to have a partner. That is a rule at Beacon," Ozpin stated as he took a sip of tea, "If you aren't attending, Yang Xiao Long won't have one," he gave Jaune a hard look.

"Just assign her to someone else!"

"I'm afraid there is no one else,"

"Than just put her with another pair!"

"Similar to not allowing people without a partner, we don't allow groups of 3. It wouldn't be fair to others."

Jaune just stared at the him in disbelief. Oz couldn't really be ok with this. But the man was like stone, and kept his neutral expression.

' _This mother fucking, grimm loving, ass licking-_

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' _mouth breathing, narcissistic, SON OF A BITCH!_ ' Jaune continued to curse the bespectacled professor as the newly dubbed team CRDL exited the stage and the crowd quieted back down. He didn't know what to do!

When he first left the SOB's office, he had every intention of approaching Yang and explaining the situation… but then he found her. She was chatting excitedly with Ruby in the dining hall. All of his determination dried up as he watched them gush over Beacon and speculate on what the teams would be.

To be honest, he'd chickened out. Yang seemed like a good person from the limited interactions they'd had together. He couldn't muster to courage to walk up and crush her dreams. Pluss, he had vivid premonitions of being beat into the ground like the grimm in initiation.

He was trapped. Ruining Beacon for her was too difficult, but he couldn't be on a team. So he did the thing everyone does when given an impossible choice… nothing. And that's why he now stood on the stage, glowering at the headmaster, waiting to be assigned a group. Something he had sworn not to do.

' _glasses wearing, tea obsessed, manipulative-'_

"Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose, and Weiss Schnee," the headmaster continued, "the four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as team Reverse (RVRS). Lead by… Ruby Rose," the crowd cheered, none louder than Yang, who screamed and whistled like a fan at the world huntsman championships rather than a simple school ceremony.

"And finally, Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, Jaune Arc, and Yang Xiao Long," Jaune forced himself to remove the scowl from his face and walk forward with his fellow teammates. ACK teammates was worse than team or partner!

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you shall work together as team Probably (PBAY) Lead by… Jaune Arc."

'WHAT!?' Jaune screamed to himself. He had been threatening to quit the school just a few hours ago and he was made the leader? What was Ozpin thinking?

"Congratulations young man," the silver haired professor concluded.

Jaune gaped at the mysterious headmaster until Yang started thumping his back excitedly and cheered loud enough he was afraid his hearing would never recover. But as he glanced back, he swore he saw a smug smile hidden behind the headmaster's mug.

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Roman walked up to the window and peaked through the blinds for the 4th time in as many minutes.

"Where is she?" he asked his short companion, "She said this was urgent, so why is she an hour late?" he turned to look at the pink and brown haired girl. She simply shrugged in response.

"You're right. It's probably nothing," he grumbled, returning to look out the window again. Still just a dark empty alleyway out there.

"But she's always so calculating and meticulous with her meetings. For her to be late... Somethings fishy" He looked over again and saw her rolled eyes.

"What do you mean calm down?" he scowled, "I'm calm as as can be…. But people don't live very long in our business without being careful. And there's something about this that's got me on edge."

A raised eyebrow

"I'm not being paranoid!"

A small smirk.

"No I'm not. Paranoia is unreasonable fear. This is completely reasonable fear." he grumbled.

"Which just makes you a coward," came a silky voice from behind him. Roman had to suppress every instinct in his body from lashing backwards with his cane, and instead calmly turn with a forced smile on his face.

"Ah.. Cinder. It's good to see you," How the fuck had she gotten in without him hearing? Or setting off any alarms for that matter?

"The feeling is most certainly not mutual, deer Roman." she said with a condescending smile. The raven haired woman slowly stepped towards him.

"So why are you so late? Something go wrong?" He asked, ignoring the insult and acting as polite as possible. He actually wanted to call her a raging bitch… but enjoyed breathing a little too much to be worth it.

"I'm… not sure," she said with a small frown, while sitting down in a chair... HIS chair… behind HIS desk.

"What does that mean?" he forced out, trying not to let his annoyance show.

"There is something… suspicious going on at Beacon."

"In what way?"

"Too many of the big players have gathered there recently. I fear someone may have leaked our plan," her eyes suddenly glowed a burning red as she stared at him.

Roman swallowed a lump in his throat and cringed as the air became uncomfortably hot around him, "I haven't said anything!" he exclaimed as the temperature continued to rise, "I don't know anything to say! You haven't told me any of your damn plans! All I could tell them is that you want a fucking ton of dust!"

She continued to stare for a moment, before blinking and allowing the heat to fade away.

"I suppose you're right," she said casually, as if her attempt to cook him alive was a harmless joke, "Regardless, I need to know what's going on there. I want you to find out."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

"You're the robber. Breaking and entering should be your specialty."

"There's a slight difference between your everyday dust store and a massive Acadamy filled with huntsman?" He scowled.

"I'm sure a man as... resourceful as you will find a way," she gave him a hollow smile, "If not, I will find someone more suitable for your position," The heat was back again.

"No. I'll figure something out. But it'll take some time," He grunted as the temperature continued to rise to painful levels. Smoke filled the room as the wallpaper peeled and the papers on his desk were singed black. He'd be dead if he didn't have aura.

"It better not be too long, deer Roman," she said as she stood and walked to the door. He struggled to maintain his neutral expression. It wouldn't be smart to show weakness, "I don't like being kept waiting,"

Finally she stepped back outside, bypassing the alarms on the door once again. She strolled down the alley, accompanied by the click of her heels, before disappearing into the night.

Roman gasped and panted as the heat faded away, collapsing into his now vacant seat. The once smooth leather was dry and cracked now and dark hand prints were branded into the armrests. He could only sigh and pull out a cigar. A good smoke would do him some good. However, a book impacted the side of his head before he could light up.

Looking over, he found Neo giving him the stink eye from her corner, "Sorry. I was a little distracted. What did you say?"

She gave him a sneer while flashing her eyes red.

"I know, I know," he sighed, "I hate her too."

Her eyes quickly fluttered between different eye colors as she gave him a questioning look and gestured to the east.

"I have no idea. You tell me. That school is a god damn fortress."

She pouted at him.

"We'll figure it out. That... or resort to plan B."

A raised eyebrow.

"It's what plan B has always been. Run, hide, and pray they don't find us."

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If one were to visit the dorms of Beacon academy, they would find a man living in his own personal hell. Said man had his head buried in a pillow and was groaning in misery at the injustice of the world.

"Are you alright Jaune?" Pyrrha asked from her bed. They had decided to split their room into 4ths, each getting their own corner. Yang to his right, Pyrrha across, and Blake diagonal.

' _Nothing's alright!_ ' he wanted to scream but instead mumbled, "It's fine. Just tired."

His mind was preoccupied with many different things. The largest of which was trying to figure a way out of this damn situation he'd fallen into. Or at least it was, until something far more... urgent took his attention.

' _Why are the rooms co ed?_ ' he moaned to himself.

"It was an exciting day, wasn't it?" Pyrrha said with a sweet smile, ignorant of his inner turmoil. That pure kindness made him feel all the worse as his eyes wandered downward from her face. She had changed out of her battle gear and into a simple white T-shirt and baggy red shorts. A rather tomboyish outfit, but one that still exposed her smooth legs, revealed in all their creamy glory now that her greaves were gone.

A throat clearing made him quickly look away with a guilty blush, thinking Pyrrha had caught him staring. But it wasn't the red goddess who had noticed, it was the yellow devil. He glanced to his right and found Yang giving him a dirty smirk.

He forced himself to maintain eye contact with her, which wasn't easy. While Pyrrha's nightwear was rather tame, Yang's left much less to the imagination. Her tight yellow tank top and black short shorts clung to her wondrous curves while exposing large expanses of her toned body. But he knew to look now was to tempt death. Plus, he didn't want to be a stereotypical asshole, but his hormones were raging out of control!

"Oh Jaune," the blonde brawler started. He could only brace for the public humiliation he was about to receive, "We didn't see much of you after initiation. What did Ozpin want to see you about?" He was surprised at the generic question, but Yang's knowing smile made him understand. He owed her one.

"Oh it was nothing," he sighed, "He just wanted to congratulate me for passing initiation."

"Why did he want to do that?" Blake suddenly asked. He was surprised by her interruption. She had said very little in the time he'd been around her, similar to himself. The two of them had been rather passive, allowing Pyrrha and Yang to do most of the conversing. And once a book was put in her hands, she hadn't said a word.

"Well he's kinda a... friend," Jaune shrugged. It wasn't the best way to describe their relationship, but was the simplest.

"How did you become friends with the Headmaster of the greatest school in Vail?" Blake questioned as her eyes bore into him. He idly noticed their unique amber color. They were entrancing in an exotic way. As was the rest of her appearance. The bow wearing beauty was wearing a rather unique form of pajamas. The short black kimono once again made his eyes want to meander downward, but he forced his gaze up. If he looked at these pretty girls much longer, his body would start to react in a… visible way.

"Well he helped my family and me through some stuff throughout the years. We kinda got to know each other through that."

"What sort of situation?" the black haired girl persisted.

"It's… uhh… kinda a private matter," he deflected.

For a moment Jaune had considered explaining everything to them. It would certainly make their future time together easier, and much less stressful for him. But he remembered Ozpin's warning to keep his semblance a secret. As much as he hated the headmaster right now, he was right. His semblance was a truly dangerous ability that some would kill to have. And while evil doer's couldn't steal it, they most certainly could torture him into using it how they wanted.

"You're just filled with mysteries ain't chya?" Yang grinned, "First the friendly deathstalker, now this."

"I told you. I don't know what was going on with that," Jaune repeated his earlier lie. He stupidly hadn't come up with an explanation for the grimm he'd ridden into battle. So instead of having a witty story, he had to play stupid and deny any knowledge. Understandably, nobody believed him.

"Yeah yeah," she waved him off, "You magically found a grimm that likes humans. Sure. You'll have to let us in on your secrets eventually, mystery man,"

Jaune could only sigh and turn away. She was right. It wasn't smart to keep his semblance a secret. It would be dangerous for everyone. Besides, his teammates seemed trustworthy.

' _And drop dead sexy_ ,' the hormonal side of him giggled perversely. He shoved that thought away.

For now he'd learn to live like this. The trust, truth, and fear that came with it, could wait.

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So far, the classes at Beacon were not how Ruby thought they'd be. She was expecting fighting and adventuring, or at least classes about fighting and adventuring. Instead it seemed like regular old school. How was history supposed to help them defeat the creatures of grimm? Even if it could, she wasn't keeping up with professor Oobleck's crazily paced lectures.

Not to mention grimm studies, a class she had expected to be interesting, was the opposite because of the boring stories of professor Port. The only fun moment, Weiss fighting a boarbatusk, had been ruined by the following argument.

She was glad they'd had the little disagreement now. Weiss had been right about her childish behavior. She was a leader and needed to act like it. Also, something had changed in Weiss's attitude afterwards. The ice queen was starting to warm up, which was unexpected after how mad the heiress had been. Maybe they'd be able to become friends after all. But she couldn't tell with prissy white haired girl. They could be enemies again tomorrow for all she knew.

Her other teammates were much easier to read. Ren was quiet and serious, but also friendly and supportive. Nora, on the other hand, was loads of fun. She was the first person who truly kept up with her, energy wise. They had spent hours talking together. The majority of their conversations were about fighting, While Ruby's obsession focused more on weapons, Nora loved martial arts, or brawling to be more accurate. It was nice to be friends with a fellow combat geek regardless.

She realized now, that Yang was right. There had been friends all around her, just waiting to be met. And now she'd met them. There was also her sister's team. Blake and Pyrrha seemed like good people. She was sure they'd become friends eventually.

There was one friend, however, that she wasn't sure about. Jaune had been rather confusing the past couple days. Whenever he was around he'd be fine at first, talking and joking with everyone during meals or in the halls between class. But then something would suddenly change and he'd become quiet and distant, sitting away from everyone else. Ruby couldn't tell what caused it. There wasn't anything she noticed that brought about the change. He'd just be happy and smiling one second, then remote and standoffish the next. And according to Yang, he did the same thing back in their room.

Plus he had a cold aura. Quite literally actually. If you stood around him, you could feel a chilly breeze radiating from him. Ruby thought it had something to do with his semblance. Ice manipulation or something. It would explain why he wore so much extra clothing while it was still warm and sunny in Vale. He'd actually even wore a neck gator now, pulled up to cover his nose, leaving his eyes as the only part of his body visible.

' _Maybe he just needs someone to talk to_ ,' Ruby thought, and decided she'd offer herself up as that someone the next chance she got. But right now there were more pressing matters. It was time for a class she was actually excited for.

Beacons school week was divided into 3 parts. Monday was combat classes, Tuesday to Thursday were the more mundane academics like history and grimm study, and Friday was another combat day. Since everyone had arrived on Monday, and initiation was on Tuesday, they had gone through two days of boring classes. But today was Friday...

This is what Ruby had been waiting for! She squealed and cradled Crescent Rose as she walked down the hall with her team.

"This is going to be awesome!" Nora cheered, almost vibrating with enthusiasm. Ruby wasn't sure if it was from excitement, or the sugar overload from all the pancakes she'd eaten for breakfast. She agreed regardless.

"Yeah, we're going to kick butt!"

Their first class for the day was survival training. She wasn't sure what to expect in it, but knew it had to be better than history or grimm studies. It wasn't even taking place in a classroom. Instead, they were instructed to meet in an open field a little ways off school grounds. It was going to feel so good to get away from the reading and memorization and get back to the action.

Eventually team RVRS made its way to the meeting point and mingled with the other students as they waited for their professor. Yang, Pyrrha, and Blake stood together, but the A in team Probably was off on his own, leaning against a tree. Ruby was going to walk up to him and begin implementing plan "shoulder to lean on" as she mentally dubbed it, but stopped as a voice slurred over the crowd.

"So you kids are all the first years, huh? Man I've got my work cut out for me."

"UNCLE QROW!"

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 **I FINALLY FINISHED THIS GODDAMN CHAPTER! Thanks everyone for being patient. It took me FOREVER to get right.**

 **To be honest, this is the part of the story I am the most foggy about. I know where I want this story to be in a little bit, but until then I'm sorta letting the story write itself. The characters need to build up their relationships and experiences together before I throw them in the deep end and get to the good stuff i've got planned.**

 **Also I probably wrote 12,000 words for this with lots of POV shifts showing both teams experiences through all their first classes. But I went back and realised something. It was all sooooo boooooring. I always hate it when authors re-write scenes from cannon without any changes. And that's what i was doing! There simply wasn't enough difference between the original story and mine in Port and Oobleck's classes. So it was better to toss those parts and move on to the stuff you guys don't already know.**

 **So how do you all like the teams? KEEP IN MIND, just because a character isn't on his team, doesn't mean they won't be important to the story. The teams are more for forced interactions between people that normally wouldn't confront each other. Blake being the key person here. She would be hard to create meetings with Jaune considering her rather reserved personality.**

 **This is also why Ruby is on the other team. She'll end up a part of Jaune's life with or without being on the same team. She's just got that naive sweetness that makes everyone like her, and way too much excess energy. I also thought it'd be fun to show some ridiculous interactions between her and Nora.**

 **So this chapter begins my true separation from canon. Qrow is going to be in the story for a few different reasons. The biggest being because he's a badass and I really want him in my story more. Also I always thought it was a little odd that they didn't show a class teaching them how to actually survive out in the wild. There's more to grimm killing than just fighting. Camping/hunting/gathering/tracking sort of stuff. So i'm going to put a lot of time into flushing that kind of info out. Let me know if you have any ideas for good survival techniques in Remnant.**

 **Finally thanks again for reading. There will hopefully not be another long break like this one.**

 **EDIT: Next chapter is almost ready. It'll be out tomorrow (Sunday 30th). Sorry it was a really long week.**


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